GENDRYA WEEK 2018
by starhallow
Summary: My entries for axg week 2018! (Also on the GOT archive)
1. Day 1

DAY 1: EYE CONTACT

She's gone mental.

Gendry was early for supper that day, he stood near one of the tall walls in the Winterfell hall waiting for the rest to arrive. His fingers kept tugging his shirt down and the little sounds his boots made kept betraying he was fidgeting, despite having lunched and dinned with the Royals for weeks. He approached the table when Davos, Jon and Lady Sansa walked through the doors, and silently sat down beside the elder of the group when he took his place on the left side of Jon.

Jon asked about Gendry's day and joked about them going hunting the following morning. Lady Sansa smiled at that. They all knew he was rubbish at it, his feet hit the ground with too much force, and it had been decided he would stay on his horse for the duration of the hunt when he alone, had managed to scare two boars and a stag one morning. Gendry never minded the teasing, it made Jon smile, and Jon had seldom smiled in a long time.

Arya walked in late as she always did. Any other day she would have entered the hall with Gendry following suit, but not that day. ' _Because you are stubborn and she has gone mad'_ Gendry told himself as he looked down and ate his stew. Halfway through the meal, however, Davos seemed to decide he had had enough.

"What are you doing?" he whispered.

"Eating." Gendry answered with the false confusion that Davos saw eight through.

"What did you do, then? To the little lady, what did you do?"

"Nothing."

"You did something."

"Why'd you say that?"

"Because the little lady is staring at you and grabbing the hilt of her sword, and we both know she is more than capable of murder."

" Arya would never murder me" Gendry snorted. "It's not my fault she's gone mad."

"So, you did something."

"I did nothing." He looked up to catch Arya looking straight at him, he smiled and got a grimace in return. "See," he told Davos "I did nothing."

"Then, why does she keep staring like that?"

"Because she's gone mental." Gendry said stabbing a carrot that was just a tad too raw with excessive force. To his utter embarrassment, the traitorous vegetable slipped from his plate and flew directly to the Lady Sansa's wine-filled cup, making the Dornish red spill on her face. Gendry froze, the apologies he was going to blabber died in his throat, Arya's hand instinctively gripped her brand new sword, and Jon … Jon started laughing. A roaring laughter none of them had heard in moons. The lady Sansa giggled and Arya took her hand from the sword he had given her earlier that day.

After supper, Jon walked with Gendry in the castle grounds as they had done every night since the war had ended. The silence that so complimented each other had become the paving stone in their friendship once Jon had forgiven him for lying about Arya, although the King had never been angry at the blacksmith.

"My sister is cross with you." He said.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she knows you want to marry her to a Lord."

"Did you not tell her that you are the Lord I'd wish she'd choose to marry?" Jon said his confusion in his eyes.

"Yes, I did."

"Then?"

"I gave her a sword. Spent over a moon making it perfect, I even asked her on the Godswood." Gendry said frustrated.

"The one she had with her? I take it she said yes, then? Why is she angry then?"

"Said she wanted a ring" Gendry said after huffing.

"A ring? Arya?"

Gendry shrugged his shoulders and kept walking, she'd gone insane. He had thought about a ring at first when Jon had given him his blessing but decided she would have thrown it in his face. Yet, she had taken offense at not getting one.

"Let her be mate," Jon told him. "Sansa says she's been moody for some time. Laughing one minute, and crying the next. She screamed at the servants the other day because they couldn't give her raspberries after she had been vomiting all morning. Raspberries! This time of year, and this far North!"

' _Yes, my poor future wife has gone mental'_ Gendry decided.


	2. Day 2

DAY 2: CAUGHT RED-HANDED

What's with all the shouting?

"You can go home if you want, Ned. Stannis will help me find a way out of this. Go home, and be with the woman that loves you". Those were the words Robert had spoken to him three nights Ned had carried the heavy book of lineages to the King's chambers. He had expected to find Robert deep in his cups, maybe surrounded by a couple of whores, but the look on Robert's deep blue eyes had stopped Ned from leaving. Jon was safe, and Cat would have to understand: he had to stay.

They spent two days deciding behind closed doors. The Kingslayer was to be sent to the Wall, the injuries on the stump that used to be his sword hand would be treated by the Brother that was to sail to White Harbour by the end of the week. Cersei was to be returned to the Rock, to her brother Tyrion. Tywin Lannister had been so ashamed by the news, his heart had given in. But the children. Robert was most concerned about the children. Not Jeoffrey, who he had decided to send to the wall, for he was a little shit. However, beautiful Myrcella and sweet Tommen kept the King awake at night. It was only when Tyrion came to beg for the lives never endangered, that it had been decided they would stay with their uncle.

Of that, it had been almost six years. Eddard knew of Gendry, or better, Prince Gendry. He knew he was Robert's the moment he had set eyes on the boy. However much, Gendry looked like his father, his character must have been inherited from his mother. He was good, and gentle, and not really as stupid as Ned's youngest daughter claimed him to be. So, because Gendry was good, Robert became better. He stopped drinking, only enjoyed the occasional prostitute, and started taking care of the Seven Kingdoms the rest had taken with himself.

It had all gone smoothly for years until the time came. The time was then, and Prince Gendry Baratheon had to marry. Robert wanted Gendry to marry Arya, he had told Ned as much, but Robert had promised Sansa a crown, and Sansa wanted to be queen, at least, she had. The only reason why Arya stayed behind in the capital was so she could keep her dancing lessons with Syrio. Even if she liked Gendry well enough, and spent a lot of time with him exploring, she had no interest in boys. No. Not his little Arya.

With all that in his hands, he was once again walking the gardens with Robert the topic of the prince's marriage about to show it's ugly head once more when they heard a commotion coming from near the rose garden.

Arya stood red in the face accusingly looking at Margaery Tyrell who was sitting on a bench with her spine so straight Ned feared it would snap. Gendry stood in the middle of them, his eyes on Sansa who was only two or three steps behind Arya.

"What is the meaning of all the shouting?" Robert asked.

"Father…" Gendry started.

"I caught them!" Arya screeched. "I caught them conspiring, whispering about Sansa and the arranged marriage!"

"You got it wrong M'lady!" Gendry said slipping to his old mannerisms.

"Don't call me that!" Arya answered turning furiously red, almost the same way Cat would turn red when Ned whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Funny, how the same traits could be inherited to show in completely different circumstances.

"And why are you, Lady Arya outraged by it, when your sister seems unfaced?" Robert asked amused.

"My sister is a lady, and incapable of making a scene."

"Your sister just doesn't want to marry me." Gendry mumbled stubbornly.

"Sansa, do you want to marry the Prince?" Ned asked his eldest.

"No" Sansa answered in a heartbeat.

"And why not?" Arya said turning against her sister. "He is good, he is loyal, he cares about his people, he studies to overcome the shortcomings he thinks he has but no one cares about, he is handsome, and sweet, not a bad dancer, and he …" Arya stopped then and blushed furiously.

"Well, that settles it then" Robert grinned.

"Father," Gendry said amused, "I have reason to believe the Lady Sansa is rather sad that if she were to marry me, she would have to stop visiting Highgarden. It may be of advantage to let her pursue a marriage there. Margaery's brother Loras is very fond of her." Poor Margaery blushed and squirmed when put on the spot in such a way. Ned liked the girl. She had always been so very nice to Sansa, and their friendship had grown in such ways in the years sharing the roof of the Red Keep, they seldom slept in different rooms anymore.

"We shall talk about it tomorrow with your uncles present." Robert answered. "And Gendry?" He asked calling his son closer to him "you may want to give the Lady Arya part of her name-day gift now." He added winking. Gendry smiled, took Arya's hand in his, and pulled her somewhere.

"What has gotten into the children today?" Ned asked when they were far enough, having left Sansa and Margery closely whispering to each other on the bench.

"You jest, surely." Robert asked.

"What about?"

Robert laughed, he laughed until day turned into night and the candles of the Red Keep started dying out.


	3. Day 3

DAY 3: It's a sign.

STUPID

Gendry was most obviously stupid. He had been told so over and over again by his -not so secret anymore- girlfriend, and he would have to agree, because sitting on a bench outside the Stark mansion in the middle of winter and covered in snow, was anything but smart. Stupid. He has stupidly listened to Rob and Theon, and he just sat there waiting for either Arya to walk out of the house or his fingers to fall off, whatever happened first. Knowing how things were with Arya, he'd better start imagining his life without fingers.

It wasn't really his fault. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't his fault AT ALL. Maybe he had scared her with the whole distance talk, but it wasn't as if she weren't going on Erasmus to Braavos for an entire year! Gendry shook his head. If anything Dragonstone was actually closer to Braavos than King's Landing where he had just finished uni and Arya only had two years left.

Besides, what was he supposed to do? When Robert had finally decided to become a featured star in his son's life and introduced him to the whacky world that were his uncles, Gendry never expected to get on well with any of them, much less Stannis. He had, however, love Shireen at first sight. Who wouldn't? Anyone incapable of loving Shireen just wasn't capable of love. Shireen was good and found Gendry's constant discomfort funny, so in exchange, Stannis took interest in his nephew and found the mining engineer he was missing for Baratheon Co.

Gendry's life had been fine. He had the girl, a job, and a future he had never thought he would get, and of course, the most important part went to hell. But again. It wasn't his fault. That time, it had been Jon's. Because when Jon had told his best friend that Arry was moving to King's Landing and if Gendry would please, help her out because she stressed easily, well, he really didn't mean for Gendry to help her de-stress the way the pair usually would. So Jon was last, or almost last to find out -it didn't matter that he was just oblivious to most of what happened around him- and he had freaked out. So Jon made a scene, Arya shouted at him, Gendry got kicked out of Arya's flat, and Rob was the only one that would talk to him. Rob and Theon, but Theon didn't really count, because all he did was make fun of Gendry for getting caught, and fun of Jon for not realizing sooner.

Gendry had called her, but she had refused to talk or see him, saying she needed time to think because when for Arya, Jon walked on water and nothing anyone could say would change that.

Gendry stupidly sat on the stupid bench, on the stupid cold, and the stupid snow, unable to make a stupid move because his stupid legs and his stupid butt were freezing and his stupid fingers were about to fall off, all for a stupid cheesy plan that stupid Rob had come up with and Gendry had been stupid enough to agree to.

"Hey" he heard beside him, and he turned to meet Arya's grey eyes. "Why are you out here?"

"Because your brothers and I are all idiots." He answered looking down.

"I'm sorry I haven't called. I needed some time. What Jon said..."

"Jon should shut up. He doesn't have the right to be offended about our relationship after what he does to his own."

"Don't talk like that, he is your best friend."

"My best friend was an asshole to me and to the girl I love because he is an insecure child that projects his drama onto everyone around him, and he almost embodied the Oedipus Complex with his aunt. I'll say whatever I want."

"He didn't know!"

"Not my fault!"

"He is just going through some things right now, and it took him as a surprise."

"Yes, well, he is not the only one going through things, Arya. In fact, some people are going through things because he won't take responsibility for his actions so I'm done making excuses for him. He needs to grow a fucking pair and you know it." Gendry almost shouted. Jon was in no position to judge their relationship, and since he had stopped talking to Gendry because ' _He would always lecture him'_ and _'he needed to put himself first right now'_. The asshole. Gendry should just tell him to go fuck himself.

The silence after his small explosion was defining. Arya walked the few steps that separated her from the bench and sat down beside him.

"Projecting the Oedipus Complex?" Arya said chuckling and leaning against his shoulder, "Someone paid attention in his psychology optional." Gendry smiled at that. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Your mum let me in. I think she knows, by the way, her eyes twinkled when she saw me, and she gave me a hug."

"Ugh, she definitely knows then. It wasn't that hard to figure out, you know? You have been what all my siblings have been talking about." She answered, kissing his cheek. "What do you have there?" She asked, eyeing the white cardboard on his lap.

"Nothing." He answered a breath too quickly.

"Gendry..."

"Rob overheard you talking to Sansa..."

"Rob hear me... Wait! When Sansa said all I needed was A SIGN?" She asked already laughing. "Let me see it."

"No, it's stupid."

"Gendry, you got me a literal sign, of course, it's stupid. But I'll love it anyway." She said taking it from his lap and turning it around.

"Before you say anything, Theon made it. I didn't know this is what they had in mind when they told me they knew how to fix it."

"They are so adorably gay... Even Theon's half-assed attempt is cute. 'Gendrya 4ever' he didn't even bother to write it right." Arya said laughing, and Gendry joined her until they decided it would be smarter to go inside the house for a cup of tea.

"What would I do without your wisdom, my lady?"


	4. Day 4

**Never Again.**

Arya walked up the stairs behind the man that had introduced himself as Bronn. She was trying to remember the long list of quirks he was reciting on her mind, but she had stopped listening somewhere near 'using double spacing'. Tywin Lannister was to be Prime Minister (or that was the talk on the street) and if she couldn't be part of the power-struggle like Robb, or part of the spy network like Bran, she would make sure every word publicly uttered by the new leader of their country was well written. She refused to stay back and wail everytime news from the war were broadcasted on the radio. Besides, if she were to be in the Prime Minister's service, and she did her job well, she could be among the firsts to hear about the fight in France, and Arya needed to know what was happening in France.

As she had been warned, Mister Lannister, was full of quirks, was unafraid to use foul language and was terrifying when his temper got the best of him. Arya had overheard more than once how his wife chastised him for the way he spoke to his staff. Funny enough, he would always sort of apologize to whomever he had screamed at after his wife made her thoughts known. Arya loved to hear them speak through the walls - not that she actively sought it out, mind you – because the way the older woman was with her husband, unavoidably reminded her of the way Gendry was with her.

More than once, Arya had been caught looking at the photo she kept on her desk. A photo of Jon and Gendry stupidly smiling at her behind the camera, embracing as the brothers they both wished one day they would become. Arya knew. She had eavesdropped on them once as Jon kept pushing Gendry to ask Arya to marry him. Gendry had refused, telling Jon that she wasn't ready for it. At the time, Arya had been relieved because Gendry knew her so well; at that moment, she wished she had been ready.

The last few days had been hard in 10 Downing Street. Arya knew about the struggles of Belgium and Holland, she suspected there was more danger in France than there had been for a long time, and she had heard two men whispering about negotiations with Mussolini. It didn't help that Jon, who had been sent home from an injury to his back where shrapnel from a bomb had cut halve his muscles, was constantly pressing her for information. It was that day, when the Prime Minister walked to her desk like many times before that Monday but happened to notice the photograph she had slightly turned minutes before.

"Who are those?" he asked.

"One's my brother, sir. He was just brought home to heal earlier in the month."

"And the other? Is he your fellow?"

"He is, sir. Gendry Waters. He is still over in France." She said, hopeful to get any information.

"Calais or Dunkirk?"

"I don't know," she said looking to her feet. "I just know he is with The Brotherhood, a man named Beric is their leader."

"I'm working to get them back home, Miss Stark," He said, looking at her in the eye.

"I know sir."

Tyrion dragged himself to his office after talking to the youngest Stark girl, with his heart on the soles of his shoes. He knew Beric, he knew which were the men he commended, he knew those men were in Calais, and he knew there was no way the would make it out of there alive. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that some of Beric's men had been sent to Dunkirk earlier in the month, but Tyrion's luck had seemed to run out when his wife had agreed to marry him, so Arya would have no fellow that would come back to her. He had gone to her desk for her to write the telegram that would inform those in Calais that there would be no rescue mission for them, but he had thought it too cruel to have her do it.

"Podrick!" he shouted once inside.

"Sir?" The young man said.

"Do you know how to write on the machine?" He asked his voice low, as he had always been aware of the thinness of those walls.

"Sir?"

"Do you?"

"Yes, sir, but I can find Miss Stark for you".

"No, you'll do. Write what I say and have it telegrammed right after."

Days had gone by and Arya waited for news. That particular day, a man dressed in a sharp blue suit had entered the Prime Ministers office. Not wanting to be indiscreet, but wanting to know, Arya stood up and cracked the door open. They were talking about France, she knew. She gasped when she heard about Calais, and she knew she had been caught. Mister Lannister, however, dismissed the man from his office and spoke loud enough for Arya to hear.

"I'll leave the list of men rescued from Dunkirk here in the very middle of my desk, and I'll check it when I come back from the washing room. Now, the list is alphabetically sorted, so, I'll start reading it from A to Z when I come back. Yes, that's what I'll do,"

The moment the Prime Minister was out of his office, Arya ran, took the list in the middle of it, turned it over, and found the letter W. There it was, on the very beginning of the

penultimate page: Waters, Gendry. Alive, minor injuries.

As she bolted outside for some fresh air, Arya promised never to eavesdrop again.


End file.
